


mei d’kan’dalta anis t’mak danor hepan’ti

by undernightlight



Series: Gays in Space [21]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Arkanis (Star Wars), Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Hutts (Star Wars), I hate Brendol Hux TM, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kylo Ren tried, M/M, Mentioned Brendol Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 14:11:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21495577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undernightlight/pseuds/undernightlight
Summary: It's Hux birthday, and Kylo got him a present. After research, he believed he got Hux the perfect present. Maybe he was wrong.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Series: Gays in Space [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/951465
Comments: 5
Kudos: 103





	mei d’kan’dalta anis t’mak danor hepan’ti

**Author's Note:**

> for @coselia on twitter who gave me the prompt.
> 
> It ended up over 1000 words, so instead of making it a chaper of the Kylux Writing Prompts thing, I made it its own work instead. Regardless, enjoy!

**from @coselia on twitter: Kylo gets Hux what he thinks is a thoughtful present but it’s actually the worst thing he could have done as it brings up bad memories...he has to first figure out that Hux is upset and then comfort him somehow!**

“Open it,” Kylo said, trying to hide his enthusiasm, sat cross-legged on the bed across from Hux, who sat with the wrapped present in his hands. It was Hux’s birthday, and though he knew the General didn’t celebrate it, especially now as an adult, Kylo knew he wanted to get him something regardless. He’d never picked out a present for someone before, not entirely on his own, so it felt almost as important to him as it must’ve felt for Hux, who’d mentioned he’d never received a birthday present before.

Hux stared down at the wrapped cube in his hands. It wasn’t particularly neat work, with the folds thick and undefined and asymmetrical, but he could tell Kylo had tried. Delicately to not rip the paper, he began unwrapping. There was a box, brown in colour with a slightly rough texture. His eyes glanced to Ren who sat eagerly waiting with wide eyes; he found it endearing. He pulled the lid off the box, and his heart dropped.

Inside, was a charm made of metal, and Hux recognised it immediately. He grabbed hold of the loose end of the chain and pulled it out of the box. It was something akin to a dreamcatcher, a metal hoop with a thin sheet of metal with intricate masses of engraved holes. From the bottom of the hoop hung more chains. The two shorter ones ended in glass beads of dark green, and the longer, centre chain hung another small sheet of metal with a thick rim. Punched into the metal was a character which Hux recognised to be his last name in the ancient Arkanis language.

“You like it, right?” Kylo asked. He’d spend time getting this. All resources were from Arkanis, at it should be for an old Arkanis warding charm. It was supposed to keep away negativity and draining forces; Kylo wasn’t sure he believed it, but he thought that maybe if it did somehow work, that Hux could use one.

Hux snapped away from the charm to Kylo, realising he’d been staring at it for a while, not speaking, not moving. “Urm, yes,” he said, but his voice wobbled and he had to clear his throat, “Yes, Kylo, I do. You must’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get something like this.” It was hard to not stare at it.

“No trouble, not for you.”

Hux felt his lungs start to clog, and he put the charm back in the box and put the lid back on. He then stood abruptly and excused himself to the bathroom. Kylo watched, confused and concerned, but he sat and waited for his partner to return, and he did a minute later, his face a little red, water caught in his hairline.

“Is everything alright?” He asked as Hux sat back on the bed, keeping his legs over the edge and feet on the floor.

“Yes,” he replied, but Kylo wasn’t sure. And then, Hux turned to him with a light smile and leant over to kiss him, soft and gentle. “I’m fine, my love,” and he ran a hand through Kylo’s hair, looking over all his features. Hux kissed him again before standing, picking up the box and setting it on the desk. “I have a meeting, I’ll be back later. Do what you wish until then.”

“But it’s no fun without you.” He gave a coy smile and wink for good measure. Hux only managed a half smile in return before leaving. Kylo was left alone in Hux’s quarters, something not usual, and so he waited. He trained against the punching bag for a while - it was new, upon Kylo’s request it be installed - breaking it in, to the point his knuckles hurt more than they should, even under the wrapping. And he was sweaty, so he showered, taking time. Hux would probably complain at the amount of gel he was using, but one of the many advantages of spending half your free time in Hux’s quarters was getting to smell like him. It was a good smell, Kylo had deemed early on; it smelled like home and safety and acceptance, all things he never thought he would have.

Kylo was already in bed when Hux finally returned. He was in bed, groggy and drifting, but not asleep. Hux didn’t even check on him before going into the bathroom. Kylo kept waiting for him to come back out or hear the shower start, but he didn’t. It was weird, so he pushed himself upright in bed and waited some more. Eventually, Hux did come out, and it didn’t take a genius to tell something was horribly wrong.

He looked hollow, gaunt in a way that seemed unnatural, and it was sudden; he didn’t look like that earlier. There were patches of red across his face, around his eyes and across the bridge of his nose and on his cheek. He sniffed hard, before finally seeing Kylo sat up, awake and waiting.

“Kylo, I thought you were asleep,” he said, as he started to change out of his uniform.

“What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired, long meeting, as you can imagine.” He rushed to change into his t-shirt and shorts for bed, his uniform sloppily being folding and shoved on the desk chair. If Kylo needed anymore proof that something was wrong with Hux, there it was.

Without speaking, Hux slipping into bed and turned to lay away from him, but Kylo wasn’t finished, gently placing a hand on Hux’s shoulder and rolling him over onto his back. Hux wouldn’t meet his gaze. “What’s wrong?” Kylo repeated. He knew he had to be patient, just like Hux had to be with him, and so he waited, but Hux didn’t speak. Kylo shuffled in the bed to lay on his side to look at his lover. “Please tell me, you can trust me.” He reached across Hux’s chest and held on to his neck, and Kylo let his finger run through the ends of Hux’s hair. “Was it the present?”

“No!” Hux said it too quickly that it confirmed Kylo’s suspicions. It was the only factor that had changed since then and now, so it was a logical jump to make. Hux screwed his eyes shut as soon as he realised what he’d done.

“If you don’t like it, that’s fine, but I suspect it’s something more than a disliking for metal warding charms.” Hux let out a sigh. Kylo could tell that whatever was to follow was serious and difficult for his lover, so he waited patiently.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just...I haven’t seen one since I was a child, back on Arkanis. I always thought they were beautiful. After the Battle of Endor, with the Empire falling but without the Republic there, the Arkanis sector was volatile, including its capital. I was only young, but the planet suffered for so long after, the Hutt influence growing. Everything became more expensive, and the ancient ways were slowing losing their place. I saved up for so long to buy one of those charms, a d’kan’dalta, and I took it home smiling, so happy. My father took one look at it and ragged it from my hands and threw it to the ground. He then proceeded to beat me for wasting money on something so useless and for buying into the ancient stories of Arkanis.”

Kylo heard the words, spoken almost entirely in a flat tone until the end, and suddenly he realised his mistake. He meant well, but he’d made a grave mistake. “I’m sorry,” he said, whispering, because of course he was sorry but he had no way of knowing.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hux replied, and though that was true, it didn’t ease Kylo’s guilt. “I was just so unprepared to see a d’kan’dalta in that box, and it brought back more than I thought was possible.”

Leaning closer, Kylo kissed Hux temple softly and rested their heads together. “I’ll get rid of it tomorrow.”

“No, don’t, I… It might take time, but I’d like to start associating them with something else now, with you. They protect the inscribed from harm. ‘Mei d’kan’dalta anis t’mak danor hepan’ti.’” Hux never spoke in Arkanis, a beautiful language nearly extinct. “‘The d’kan’dalta is sheilding for themselves.’ If anyone were to make me feel protected, it would be you.” He finally looked at Kylo, eyes warm, and Kylo was enamored.

“I will protect you.”

“I know, and I, you.” Hux meant it and Kylo could tell. They would always protect each other, it didn’t need to be spoken, but sometimes it was still nice to hear; at times, Kylo forgot he was loved, and the reassurance Hux gave him, through words, through voice, through action, through just a quick glance across the bridge, reminded Kylo. And though the gift wasn’t the right one, he was at least relieved to know he had many more birthdays to try and perfect it.


End file.
